Chelsea co-owner Mark Walter has reportedly expressed interest in selling his minority stake in the Premier League club as he faces an investigation into multi-billion dollar loans. The probe is examining how billions in loans extended to companies linked to Walter or his conglomerate, TWG Global, ended up on the books of his insurance companies after being routed through a third entity.
Walter, who holds a 12.8 percent minority stake in the consortium BlueCo that owns Chelsea, has also recently sold the Los Angeles Lakers for a reported £9 billion ($12.5 billion). This sale of the NBA franchise occurred less than a year after he acquired a majority stake.
The U.S. Attorney's Office is conducting the investigation, and according to the Wall Street Journal, the FBI executed at least one search warrant to seize a mobile phone. TWG Global has stated that it is aware of and cooperating with the investigation.
The sale of the Lakers to Josh Kushner, brother of a former advisor to President Trump, and former Disney CEO Bob Iger, is reported to be the highest price ever paid for a sports team. Walter, 66, amassed his wealth as a founder of bond manager and investment bank Guggenheim Partners. His other sports interests include a stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers, majority ownership of the Los Angeles Sparks, and ownership in North America's top-level professional women's ice hockey league, alongside the Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, also owned by BlueCo.
Walter joined the consortium that took over Chelsea in 2022, acquiring his minority stake alongside Todd Boehly. Behdad Eghbali, co-founder of Clearlake Capital, holds the majority 61.5 percent stake in the club.
Walter had previously bought his LA Lakers shares, estimated at £7.45 billion ($10 billion), from the Buss family in October 2025. At the time of the sale, Walter described owning the Lakers as "one of the great honors of my life."